A routine Monday morning turned into a nightmare for many families in Telangana following a horrific collision between a state-run bus and a truck laden with gravel. The accident, which occurred near Chevella, resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries, leaving survivors to recount the harrowing experience.
Yellaiah Goud, a driver from Tandur town, tragically lost all three of his daughters – Sai Priya, Tanusha, and Nandini – in the crash. He had seen them off at the bus stop that morning, unaware it would be their final farewell. Upon hearing the news, he rushed to the accident site, only to find his daughters among the deceased, their lives tragically cut short by the devastating impact and the subsequent chaos of gravel engulfing the passengers.
The crash also claimed the lives of Kurugunta Bandeppe and Lakshmi, a couple from Hajipur village who were on their way to Hyderabad for medical treatment. Their untimely demise has left their daughters, Bhavani and Shiva Leela, orphaned, with eyewitnesses describing the scene as heartbreaking.
Among the victims were Akhila Reddy, an MBA student whose grieving mother fainted upon seeing her daughter’s body, and Jayasudha, a mathematics teacher who was found trapped under gravel. Though rescued alive, she sustained severe leg injuries and was rushed to the hospital. Four of her colleagues narrowly escaped the tragedy by minutes.
Survivors painted a grim picture of the accident. One unnamed survivor, who was dozing at the time, recalled being jolted awake by a loud thud, finding himself buried in gravel. He managed to escape through a window and assisted others, describing the chaotic scene where those near the driver’s cabin had no chance of survival.
Another survivor, Narsimhulu, a theatre artiste, described being near the conductor’s seat when the truck hit the bus’s right side, crushing the seats behind the driver and showering passengers with gravel. He sustained minor injuries but witnessed the devastating aftermath.
Dastagiri, a local from Aluru village, who participated in the rescue, noted that the Chevella-Tandur highway has been a dangerous stretch known for frequent accidents.
The incident has led to public anger, with former ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy and Rohit Reddy facing criticism. Locals also clashed with police at Mirzaguda, preventing the removal of the damaged bus. State IT minister D Sridhar Babu stated that the government was not negligent regarding highway expansion, attributing delays to environmental petitions filed with the National Green Tribunal.